Reassurances for a Prankster
by Siriusly Loopy
Summary: After Fred's death, he meets a man he hasn't seen in two years who helps him accept the fact that he's passed on. Sequel to "Regrets of a Prankster". Three-shot. SPOILERS for OOTP and DH!
1. Acceptance

**Disclaimer: I don't own any HP characters or places. **

**A/N: I got an idea for this from seriouslykelsey, one of my reviewers for **_**"Regrets of a Prankster"**_**. Yes, it is a sequel to that same story. Hope you enjoy!**

Fred picked himself up from the ground and looked around at his surroundings. He couldn't see anything. At least, nothing of interest. There was only a grayish-white mist, as far as the eye could see. Nothing else. _No one_ else.

That caught his attention. Where were all the people? Last he remembered, he had been inside the Hogwarts castle. There had been a battle and there had been _lots_ of people. Where were they now? Where was _he_ now? It most certainly wasn't Hogwarts. What about George? He couldn't recall a time when his twin hadn't been right next to him.

"George!" he called out. Nobody answered. There was only silence. Or… not quite silence. There was a slight whispering far off in the distance. Maybe it was George and everybody else.

He started walking towards the whispers…

The mist swirled around him like a blanket, revealing nothing, if there was anything to revealed at all. It got no denser, nor did it disperse. It was just there.

After what seemed like a long while later, Fred stopped. Nothing had changed. It was as if his surroundings had been moving with him. He was still surrounded by the mist. The whisperings hadn't gotten any louder. They were still unrecognizable as words. It started to annoy Fred. What were they saying?

"Ron?" he called out. "Is that you? It's not funny!" There was no answer.

"Percy! Stop playing around!" The silence was almost deafening.

"Ginny! I'll teach you to prank if you'd like! Stop trying to annoy me!" The whispering continued at the same agonizing level, so close to being understandable that if this place was anything like the real world the listener would only have to take another step to hear words instead of sounds.

"Bill? Charlie? Mum! Dad!" Still no one replied. Fred's words echoed around him as he reviewed last memories he had before being here. Wherever "here" was.

The last thing he remembered was laughing and a green flash. After that, all he remembered was this seemingly never-ending, misty place. Maybe the green flash was the cause of all this.

Suddenly, he remembered back to his sixth year at Hogwarts, when he had been taught Defense Against the Dark Arts by a Death Eater. Of course, he hadn't known at the time, but still… He had showed them the Unforgivable Curses, one of them being the Killing Curse. It had been green.

Fred inhaled sharply. He was dead. That bloody Death Eater had killed him! That must be why nobody was here. Why he was alone. He wiped bitterly at his eyes. He was not going to cry. Even if the thought of being alone was entirely new to him. He had never been alone before. People had always surrounded him wherever he went. He felt very exposed now that he was on his own. It wasn't a good feeling.

Something tugged at the back of his mind. Fred looked around. The mist was thinning. He thought he could see little bits of green on the ground and maybe some blue when he looked up. The whispers were gone. He strained to hear them. Nothing. He reached into his pocket to take out an Extendable Ear, but there were none. His pockets were empty. Things were getting weirder and weirder in… what would you call this place? The Land of the Dead? Sounded like a Muggle horror movie. Heaven…or the other option?

Footsteps came from behind him. Fred whirled around, reaching for his wand, but found it missing. Of course. How was he supposed to defend himself? The rational part of his mind reminded him that he was dead, making defense less than important… But he still longed for the reassuring weight of his wand in his hand.

"Who are you?" he called out to the footsteps. Why was he scared? If he was as dead as he was starting to believe he was, surely nothing could be done to him. Right?

A laugh came from the direction of the footsteps. He didn't immediately recognize that laugh, but it did ring a bell.

"Take it easy, Fred. I'm won't harm you," a voice called back to him. It sure was nice to have someone answer him. "As for who I am, my name is Sirius Black. Surely you remember me?"

Fred's jaw dropped in surprise. Sirius Black? Sirius was dead too, Fred realized. But in death, weren't you supposed to see the people that changed your life, or dead grandparents or something? Fred hardly knew Sirius.

Fred realized that he hadn't said anything yet. He tried to say something but he couldn't make any sound come out of his mouth. Sirius appeared out of this mist. He was smiling. Finally Fred managed to get out a pathetic, "Oh."

"There's no one here that knows you besides me. Well, except Peter Pettigrew, but he didn't seem an appropriate choice. I think you've figured out what's happened to you. Otherwise you wouldn't be able to see me."

"I'm dead, aren't I?" Fred said quietly.

Sirius nodded. He had a sad look in his eyes. "Yes. You've died. I don't know how, but at the moment you're in between worlds."

"Worlds?"

"Of the living and the dead. You haven't accepted that you're dead yet."

"Yes, I have," Fred retorted.

"No, you haven't," Sirius answered. "Knowing, or at least figuring that you're dead is much different from _accepting_ it. Don't feel rushed, of course. It takes time to come to terms with something like this."

"Wait, I don't understand." Fred said. "What's the difference? If I know I'm dead, if I realize that there simply aren't any other options, then I've accepted it. Haven't I?"

"You still think you have a chance at going back," Sirius said quietly. "You still think that you don't belong here."

"But—"

"Do you know how long it took me to accept that I was dead? I figured out, as you have, that I must be dead within minutes of awakening. But it wasn't until just a week later that I could accept my fate." Sirius gave him a small little smile. Fred guessed that it was supposed to reassure him. It didn't quite work.

Sirius took a breath and continued. "You must accept it. And you do belong here. You'll be joined by other people soon enough. There's a war going on down there. You're not going to be the only person who dies."

Fred's eyes widened. "My family?" he choked out. "Are they okay?"

Sirius shook his head. "I don't know. I'm hoping that they'll all live through this. I don't know anything about who's going to die and who's not. I'm no Seer Fred. All I can do is watch and hope. That's all any of us can do, here, and farther on. Once you've accepted that you've died that is."

Fred took a deep breath to steady himself. He was dead. He knew that. He didn't _want_ to be dead. Who did? He had once read that suicide was not the wish to die, but rather the wish to hide. He didn't want to hide. He had died too young. What would the rest of his life have been like? What would George do now that he was alone in the world?

"There's no going back now," he said aloud. "I suppose I don't mind being dead. It will be…an adventure." He sounded less than convinced, but went on, "And I will watch my family and friends' lives unfold. We can see what is happening, can't we?"

"Yes, of course," said Sirius.

"Well, I didn't plan on dying, but there's nothing I can do about it now, I suppose." He swallowed hard. "I am dead. I am no longer part of the world of the living. I accept the fact that I have died."

Sirius nodded. He held his hand out. "Then come with me. I'll take you to where you can watch the battle."

Fred nodded. He took a deep breath and grabbed hold of the older man's hand. Sirius smiled warmly and led him away.

Fred smiled as well. This would be his new life, or… death…or… the rest of his existence as a spirit. He might as well enjoy it. And there were worse people to spend it with. Sirius was a pro prankster. They would be able to swap hundreds of stories about the pranks they had played at Hogwarts on the fellow students and teachers. Perhaps this wouldn't be so bad after all.


	2. A Smile That Reached His Ears

A/N: OK, there's going to be one more chapter to this. It's a now a three-shot people, OK? I'm pretty sure that'll be the end.

The battle was won. The side of light had prevailed. No one else in his family had died; over fifty others had though, including his former professor, Remus Lupin, and his wife, Nymphadora Tonks. Harry Potter had lived through the battle, but just barely.

Fred had seen his family stand over his body and weep. He had seen their faces as they looked at him, seen George as he tried unsuccessfully to hide his tears. It almost made him feel guilty. He had made them feel that way. By dying.

Sirius had had mixed emotions when he learned that Remus had died. Remus Lupin's son had just been born a few months ago, and he had already lost both of his parents forever. _Just like Harry_, Fred thought. But Teddy Lupin would not live Harry's life. He would have many loving relatives (as well as very close friends) to take care of him and make sure that he knew all about his parents' bravery and kindness. Although, Harry would also make sure he knew his parents' faults and likes and dislikes, so that Teddy knew his own parents better than Harry had known his.

Speaking of Harry's parents, Fred had now met them. Sirius had introduced Fred to Lily and James Potter. He had been awed by the… _normalness_ of these two people. They were heroes to the Wizarding World, but really they were just two people with worries and wants and regrets like everyone else. He wished that Harry could have known his parents at least as well as Fred now knew them.

Lily, James, Sirius, and Remus had left for a while during the battle. Harry had called for them to help him finish his task. Fred had been alone as he watched the battle from above. So many innocents had fallen. But Fred almost felt worse for those who had been left standing. Standing over the bodies of friends or loved ones. Like his family.

"It won't always be this way," a voice said behind him.

Fred whirled around to find Sirius Black watching him. It didn't surprise him that Sirius knew what he was thinking. Anything was possible here, he supposed.

"They aren't always weeping and frowning and acting upset. They'll move on, and then when somebody mentions your name, they'll smile. At least, that's what James and Lily say. I haven't gotten to that point yet. Not to the people that matter, at least. Like Harry. I think he'll be all right now, though. Since he was able to see us, I'm pretty sure that he'll be fine. He's got Ginny," Fred made a face at this, "and soon he'll have children of his own to worry about." Fred tried not to think about this too much. "There won't be any time for him to brood about the people he's lost. The same will be true for your family, even your twin. I can promise you that."

Fred thought about that for a while, then smiled. "It's nice to know that I won't always have to see my family like this. It's so unlike them that it's painful. Especially George. He's going to take this really hard, I'm sure. But it's nice to know that he'll move on and remember me as one of the best pranksters Hogwarts has ever had."

Sirius' smile turned mischievous then. "And who were the best pranksters Hogwarts has ever had?"

Fred's heart leaped. This was one of the conversations he had been hoping for. "George and I. The Marauders' Map helped, but other than that, we were way better."

"You wouldn't have been able to pull off half of your pranks if you hadn't been able to use the map. Admit it, your pranks wouldn't have worked if you hadn't had the map."

Fred shook his head in mock seriousness. "No way. Our ideas were better than yours."

"We'll just have to swap stories then, won't we? We've got time. But you're a bit outnumbered here, little friend. James and Remus will have to agree that the Marauders will always be the best Hogwarts pranksters."

Fred's smile reached his ears for the first time since he had arrived in this place. And it felt good to know that he had people that could keep him entertained until he could see his family again.


	3. Forgive and Forget

Disclaimer: Anything you recognize belongs to Ms. Rowling.

**A/N: This is the last chapter, I promise! Hope you like it!**

Fred figured it had been a couple months since the battle had ended. Time didn't go by the same way in this place as it did when he had been alive. There wasn't really a _sense_ of time passing by. It was more like you were standing still and everyone else down below were moving around at a fast speed. Almost as if you were watching a movie. Years could go by for the living, but it would feel like nothing to the dead. Fred hated it, but at least it was better than not knowing what was going on with his family at all. He would go mad if he couldn't watch over everyone he once knew.

There was also the fact that he wasn't alone up here. He had Harry's parents, who were wonderful people, as well as Remus Lupin and Tonks. Sirius Black definitely made being dead more bearable. A pranking enthusiast and a wonderful storyteller, he filled the endless time with laughter. Whenever Fred starting to wallow in his grief about being dead, Sirius would turn up and they would start talking about former pranks and adventures with their friends. It always succeeded in cheering Fred up.

But there was one thing that they hadn't talked about and Fred wasn't sure how to approach it. His last words to Sirius Black before he had died in the Department of Mysteries had not been kind ones. Fred wanted to take them back and now he had a chance to do just that. But where would he start? "Remember what I said to you right before you died? Yeah, well, I'm sorry." That just didn't sound right to him. But how do you say something like that?

Fred sighed. Much as he appreciated the Marauders and Lily, they weren't the same as his own family. Lily was much like his mother in that she had a raging temper, but was not as prone to giving out random hugs, which Fred had never really appreciated while he had them. James was very different from his father. He respected Muggles but was not obsessed with them. He was not the kind of person who could just ramble on about anything. Remus was a lot like Bill, calm and mostly unaffected by the words of others, but he was less… cool than his oldest brother. Sirius was… almost like an older version of Fred himself. Which was why Fred spent almost all of his time with Sirius. He wanted someone who could understand how he felt and Sirius did. It was a nice feeling, having someone understand your grief, but even better was the fact that the two of them had turned out to be so much alike in personality. It was almost like Fred had another brother.

"What's wrong now?"

Fred sighed. And just like an older brother, he could always count on Sirius to notice when he was unhappy.

"I'm just missing them again," he answered. "Nothing new."

Sirius cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. "Sure," he said. "You're just _brooding_ again. Talk it out, mate. It makes it easier, I've been telling you this for a while."

"I know," Fred said. "But I can't stop it coming back. It just does."

Sirius' expression softened. "I know what you mean. I miss my old life, too. That was back about…" he thought for a second, "twenty years ago. Just out of Hogwarts, lots of time with my friends, good job, a flat of my own… those were the times. You had pretty much the same thing, only then you physically died. I was carted off to Azkaban after being framed for a crime I didn't commit by someone who I had considered my best friend. You can't top that."

Fred gave a weak smile. "I left behind people who would actually care if I was gone. You had two friends there, one had betrayed you, and the other thought you were a traitor. Plus, Harry didn't know who you were so he couldn't go after you. I have an entire family and a lot of friends who will be missing me now that I'm gone."

Sirius smiled. "You win."

Fred grinned triumphantly. Then he frowned as he remembered what he had been thinking about before Sirius had interrupted his thoughts. Now was as good a time as ever.

"Sirius, I have a confession to make. I'd like you to listen to the entire thing if you can." Sirius raised an eyebrow, but nodded. "I… remember when we came to Grimmauld Place for Christmas?" Sirius nodded again. "Well, I remember that I was really angry that very first night, and you wouldn't let us go see Dad. I said something that… well that I regret saying. I don't know if it influenced your going to the Department of Mysteries later that year, but… I just wanted to make sure."

Sirius frowned. "What did you say? I can't even remember anything. I know that you were angry but I don't remember being really hurt by anything you said."

Fred sighed. "I guess that's a good sign. I said something along the lines of 'Easy for you to say, I don't see you risking your neck.' Did it… influence your decision later that year?"

Sirius smiled. "I can just see you obsessing over that and being completely frustrated that you couldn't ask me. To answer your question, no. It didn't influence my decision. At least, the fact that you said it didn't. I'd already been dwelling on that myself since the beginning of the year and I wanted to get out and do something useful. That night at the Department of Mysteries was my first chance, and I jumped at it. I don't even remember you saying anything. I just remember you being angry with me. You're completely forgiven, if that's what you're getting at here."

Fred gave a small sigh. "It is. Thank you and… I'm glad you're here with me. It's nice to have an older version of me to talk to."

Sirius put his arm around Fred's shoulders. "It's nice to have a younger version of _me_ talk to," he replied. "But even you, Sirius Junior, couldn't top the prank that the Marauders pulled in fourth year…"

A/N: Many thanks to HY for reading this! Glad you made it. It made me happy. smiles And many, many thanks to Eesha for her GREAT AND EXEMPLARY edits!!!! They were FANTABULOUS!!!!!! I can't thank you enough. smiles again


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